


Pink Drink

by MissAllySwan



Category: The Dumping Ground
Genre: BBC, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Eventual Romance, F/M, Food Poisoning, Foster Care, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Male-Female Friendship, Sick Character, Sickfic, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23924596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissAllySwan/pseuds/MissAllySwan
Summary: Rick gets food poisoning and Carmen tries to help. One-Shot
Relationships: Rick Barber/Carmen Howle
Kudos: 2





	Pink Drink

**I do not own The Dumping Ground or any of its characters. Everything you may recognize belongs to CBBC.**

* * *

Rick's POV

I had to keep them busy while Tyler handled the situation with his mum. I had told Mike and May-Li that Tyler and Sally were not hungry and that managed to hold them off for a bit; though I knew that wouldn't be good enough. I knew eventually they would want to go check up on them and I had to figure out a way to keep the two of them distracted. _But how?!_ As I ate, I tried to think of something. I thought I would have had at least ten minutes, but about five minutes in they decided to get up to check on them. I had to think quickly. _Come on, Rick!_ And then it came to me.

"Ah!" I groaned.

"You alright?" Mike asked. Both he and May-Li both looked at me concerned.

"Yeah." I nodded, "I was probably eating a bit too fast." Then, both May-Li and Mike then made another attempt to leave the room. I knew I had to continue with my delay. "Ah." I groaned again, louder this time. Now Mike and May-Li were a bit more concerned. _Perfect, that should give Tyler more time_.

"Do you want some water?" May-Li offered, holding a cup in front of me. I reached for the water, making my hand shake for effect. I took a small sip and then handed it back to her as I let out another pained groan.

"Do you want to go lay down?" Mike asked. I thought about it for a moment before nodding. I figured that might give Tyler more time if they were busy tending to me.

"Let me help." Carmen got up from her chair and then came around to one side of me. She, along with Mike and May-Li guided me over to the couch in the quiet room. _Shit, I should have known they would have gone in here. Tyler and Sally were supposed to be in here._

"Where are—" Their absence didn't go unnoticed by Mike.

"Ah!" I yelled louder and clutched my stomach to get Mike to worry less about Tyler and more about me.

"Where does it hurt?" Mike asked. "Is it here or all over?"

"It's hurts…" I hissed. "All over." I knew if I mentioned the right side only that he would assume it was my appendix and want to go to a hospital. I didn't want that. I just needed to keep them busy for long enough.

"Anything I can do?" I heard Carmen ask.

"Go wet a cloth from the sink and bring it back here." May-Li suggested as she put a hand to my forehead. "You don't have a fever…"

"It could be something I ate."

"Should we call a doctor?" Carmen asked once she came back with the cloth.

"No!" I protested a bit too quickly. "I'll be okay." I kept the pained expression up and then Tyler came back into the room. I noticed his expression and knew that he had taken care of what he needed to. "I think it's passing…"

"What's going on?" Tyler asked.

"We don't know." May-Li answered. "He's got a stomachache."

"I think it's going away." I waited a minute before sitting up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mike wanted to be sure.

"Yeah, I feel alright." I nodded, looking to Tyler to make sure everything was alright. "How about you Tyler? Is your mum alright?"

"Yeah, I was just about to ask where you were…" Mike looked between us; he seemed suspicious. "Where is Sally by the way?"

"She was just in the loo." Tyler answered. Well at least that wasn't a lie. "Everything is fine. And she's going to get some help."

"I'm sorry the day didn't go the way you planned." Mike put a hand on Tyler's shoulder.

"It's alright." I think at this point, he just wanted her to get better.

"Now Rick, are you sure you're alright?" I couldn't tell if Mike thought there was something odd about what just happened. But it didn't seem too obvious.

"Much better now." I confirmed. "Sorry."

"We're just glad you're okay." May-Li stood up and then left the room with Mike and Carmen, leaving me with Tyler.

"Thanks for covering for me." Tyler thanked me.

"Good thing you came in when you did. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep that up before they wanted me to go to the hospital." I chuckled slightly. "Now are you sure you're okay after today? After everything with your mum?"

"I will be." Tyler nodded. "I'm just glad to be home." He then stood up. "Is there any dinner left?"

"If there isn't, you can have mine." I offered.

"You don't want it?"

"Oh I do, but they'll be suspicious if I am miraculously fine." I explained. I wasn't able to eat much before I had to stall May-Li and Mike from going to check on Tyler, but I could live. I would just need to hold out until breakfast.

* * *

In the middle of the night, I woke up and started to feel a sharp pain in my stomach. I rolled over onto my side and noticed the clock: 5:46. _What the hell is going on_? I waited for a moment, hoping the pain would stop. And it did, so I thought it might have just been a fluke or something. But it only subsided for maybe two minutes. Then, it came right back and I forced myself out of bed and to the bathroom. I managed to make it over to the toilet in time as I started throwing up.

After some time—maybe a few minutes—I heard a knock and the creak sound of the door sliding open as I took some quick breaths. "Rick?" I managed to look over enough to notice it was Carmen before I turned back to the toilet and immediately started gagging again. "Your stomach again, is it?" She asked, crouching down next to me. I nodded. That much was obvious. I certainly wasn't doing this for the fun of it. I expected Carmen to leave and get one of the night shift care workers but she didn't. I felt her place a hand on my back and rub gently. I continued for a few minutes before it was only dry heaving. "Was it something you ate? Different than the rest of us, I mean?" I shrugged, not recalling eating anything that the rest of the house did. And I ate less than everyone else at lunchtime.

"Not that I remember."

"Are you finished?" Carmen asked after flushing the toilet for me.

"For now." The pain had subsided but I knew it would come back.

"Come on."

I shook my head, "I'll need to do it again." I didn't see the point in moving if I could need the toilet again. It had been hard enough to make it here in the first place.

"I'll grab a pot from the kitchen." Carmen said. "Come on, you're not going to lay on the floor. That's disgusting." I already felt disgusting so I didn't see how it was a big deal; maybe the cold tile would help. But Carmen was insistent and helped me to my feet. After getting me back to bed, she ran down stairs and then came back up to the room a few minutes later. I heard the pan she got in case I had to vomit again fall on the floor.

"Don't wake, Tyler." I whispered. If I could hear the bang, even as silent as it was, I knew it could wake Tyler up. I didn't want to wake up anyone else. "I didn't wake you, did I?" The thought occurred to me.

"Yeah, you should try to vomit quietly next time." Carmen quipped. "Actually, I had to use the loo. You beat me to it."

"Good thing." I chuckled. I knew if she had gotten there first, there would have a mess to clean up; no one would have been happy with me.

"Now here," Carmen brought a glass of water over to me. The only reason I took a few sips is because of the burning in my throat from the vomiting. I only took about two sips before curling up onto my side again as the pain intensified again. I felt Carmen's hand on my forehead.

"You don't have to—"

"I know." Carmen didn't leave. "I don't mind." I was surprised. But I wasn't going to complain. I would rather have her here than one of the night shifters. "And I've been there before." She added as I noticed her pick up a bottle that had been on the dresser next to my bed.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Sit up and take some of this." She didn't answer my question. She just took the cap off and poured some of the pink liquid into the cap. _Of course it would be pink_. "You need to take something. I don't know if it will help much, but it can't hurt to try it." I forced myself to sit up and then took the medicine, trying not to gag on it.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Carmen laughed. It wasn't the taste. Just the thought of eating or drinking anything made me want to gag. Even just those tiny sips of water made my stomach want to lunge.

And then I had to run. "I have to go."

"No, I can get it. What do you need?" Carmen didn't seem to understand what I meant by that. It was going to come out the other end this round.

"No, I mean—" I cringed as I felt it coming. "I have to _go_." I scrambled out of bed and into the bathroom, not wasting any time with locking the door. I managed to make it in time. I tried to keep myself quiet but it was quiet difficult; it had been quite painful. Eventually, it stopped—for the time being—and I flushed and then sprayed a good amount of air freshener before dragging myself back to my bed. I was surprised to see that Carmen had stayed there. "Sorry…I just knew—"

"You don't have to explain." Carmen didn't want all the details and I frankly didn't blame her. I definitely wouldn't if it was the other way around. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Maybe." I wasn't quite sure. The diarrhea had been worse than the vomiting but for now the cramps had subsided. But I knew it would be too soon for this to have stopped. I had this once many years ago; it would be a while before I got over this. Unless she had some miracle medicine. "You know you don't have to stay." I was surprised she was still here. "You can go back to bed. Mike and May-Li will be here in an hour or two." I probably could manage on my own with the pan.

"It's alright, I don't mind." Carmen sat on the edge of my bed. I hadn't even realized that I left room for her. "And I don't think I could get back to sleep." I wish I could. "Maybe you could try." She suggested. "Before the cramps start up again."

I closed my eyes and attempted it. I had to throw the comforter off me at one point as I started feeling hot. But then probably not even five minutes later I started to feel cold again. Carmen noticed and then put it back on me. Then moved the bottom portion up a bit so my feet were hanging out of it. That only seemed to help for a few minutes. I couldn't get comfortable. "I don't think it's gonna happen."

"Well you should try drinking some more water." She picked up the glass.

"I don't want any." I protested. I was afraid that it would start up the pain again.

"You should stay hydrated." Carmen insisted. "Come on." I realized she wasn't going to give up and sighed. She put her hand on the back of my neck and then brought the glass to my lips. I took the smallest of sips and then pushed it away. I was half expecting her to push me to drink more but I was relieved that she didn't. "I wish there was more I could do for you." She put her hand on my back and rubbed gently as I curled back up.

"You're doing enough." I shut my eyes and tried to focus on her doing that, rather than how the rest of me felt. It helped some but there was only so much that could do. But it beat the alternative to when I had this when I was seven. My parents were always pulling off scams. Though I didn't always know the truth of what they were doing. When I was seven years old, they brought home some dinner. I kept insisting that mine had tasted funny, but they told me to eat it anyways. The food hadn't been nicked and god forbid I didn't eat every bite. Needless to say I did and hours later, it was coming out both ends of me. Besides how I horrible I felt, I remember my mum screaming how I ruined one of the rugs she had bought with the money from one of her scams. Dad tried giving me whatever medicines we had in the house and nothing seemed to help. I would just throw it back up. I laid on the cold bathroom floor for most of that night alone. I remember they spent most of the time yelling about the carpet or about how they couldn't leave me alone with how I was; they were probably planning a scam that night. I wished they would have stayed with me for more than a minute at a time. They checked on me here and there to see if anything had worked and that I hadn't made another mess. Then once I was better, I remember them saying they were going to try suing that market for selling them the bad meat. If only they had cared more about me than what money they could try getting or what next scam they could pull now that I was better.

The pain eventually started back up again, but I didn't feel like I needed the toilet or the pan yet. "It's so strange how you could have pain earlier and then nothing for like what? Twelve hours?" Carmen seemed to think it was connected with the stomachache distraction I pulled.

"Oh, I wasn't sick then." I admitted.

"What?"

"Tyler needed some time with his mum—it's a long story—but I knew he needed more time so I had to distract May-Li and Mike somehow." I explained. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"Maybe this is karma." I chuckled slightly at her suggestion.

"I think it's just bad luck." Though, it'd be nice to know what brought this on.

"I think I heard Mike or May-Li just walk in." I looked up at Carmen. "I heard the door and they usually get here around now." She added.

"I think I will—" I was going to say I was fine. It still hurt like hell but I could manage. But then I felt a strong wave of nausea hit me. "Pan! Now!" Carmen grabbed it for me just in time as I started to vomit again.

"Okay, I'm going to see if someone can help." Carmen left and then returned within a minute with Mike.

"Rick?" I glanced up only briefly in between waves of vomiting.

"He's been like this for hours. Must be food poisoning, but we don't know what he had that everyone else didn't." I heard Carmen tell him.

"It must be those sausages." I looked up at Mike, confused at first. But then it came back to me. It was at dinner. May-Li had made sausages; two different brands. She had run out of the regular ones she used and cooked only a few of the other ones. I must have been the only one who had them.

"How did you know about those?" I asked.

"Because May-Li just called to tell me that she has food poisoning and won't be coming in." So, it wasn't just me? "Before I could ask her if anyone else tried those sausages besides her, Carmen came down. I guess I got my answer."

"No else is sick. As far as I know." Carmen added.

"Lets get you something. See if it helps."

"We've already tried the pepto bismol." Carmen told him.

"I have something else he could try." Mike left the room momentarily and came back with a pill and some more water. "I had a friend who was always getting sick. Swears that these work great for the nausea, so I thought it'd be worth a try." I didn't hesitate to take the pill with a small sip of water. "If it works as good as my friend says, give it a half hour."

I nodded, "Thanks Mike."

"I'll come back and check on you in a bit alright?" I nodded and then Mike left the room to go do the work he needed to do this morning.

"I guess the pink stuff wasn't the only thing we could try." I commented once Mike was gone and I noticed Carmen hadn't left.

She laughed. "I guess not." She sat on the edge of the bed again.

"So far the cramps haven't come back yet." I admitted. At least so far; I didn't want to get my hopes up. Though it seemed to be looking good.

"That's good." Carmen seemed as relieved as I was. "Do you want me to go? Let you rest then?"

"You don't have to stay." I didn't want to force her to stay. But I wouldn't have minded if she did.

"I wouldn't mind." Carmen didn't get up. "At least until we're sure it's worked."

I nodded, "Well, I don't mind if you want to." Carmen ended up staying with me. At least for some time after Mike had left. The pain didn't return after that and I managed to fall back to sleep. I assumed she left some time after that because when I eventually woke up in the late morning, she was gone.

I laid there in bed for a bit and then eventually went downstairs to get some more water. I wasn't going to dare try eating something. As I filled up a glass, I noticed Carmen walk in. "Hey, feeling better?" She asked and I nodded.

"Not enough to eat anything but better than earlier." I felt pretty weak. I probably was going to go back up to bed. "Thanks for earlier, by the way." It meant more than I was going to admit out loud.

"Sure. Glad I could help." Carmen smiled slightly.

"So what do you got there?" I asked, noticing the drink in her hand.

"Tee and I went to Starbucks. It's this new pink drink. It's great." Of course she would like it; its pink. "Why? You want to try it?" She seemed to wonder why I was asking.

"Well maybe sometime when I feel better we could go get another one." I tried not to sound anxious as I was asking this.

"Together?" Carmen wanted to clarify.

"Yeah—I mean, it's the least I can do after how you helped this morning." I couldn't hide my smile. "And I figure, why not see if all pink drinks are truly terrible." That made Carmen laugh.

"Sure, I'd love to." Carmen agreed. _It's a date._

"Great." I then headed back to bed, looking forward to when I felt completely better.

**Author's Note:**

> It doesn't look like there is an actual fandom category for The Dumping Ground and that saddens me. I guess I'm the first one here! XD I originally posted this on FFN on April 13 2020. I always thought Carmen and Rick had potential. She even seemed to like him the moment he came on the show in TBR. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!


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